“We need changes, we need a lot”

Lewis Hamilton did not hide feel “Mixed emotions” Saturday evening in Miami, at the end of a day which first smiled before him before going back to his flaws. Third in the Sprint race, the Ferrari driver then experienced trying qualifications, marked by premature elimination in Q2 and a 12th position on the starting grid.

Asked about his sprint podium, the seven -time world champion knows that he owes it to an opportunity seized and a good strategy with the rapid passage to the Slicks tires on the driving track.

“It was good, the result was good, but it is not thanks to pure performance”he underlines, lucid. “It was a good strategic choice, but the pure rhythm, we didn’t have it. I was one of the first arrivals [au circuit] This morning to make sure that we make the right decisions throughout the day, but that hasn’t changed anything. The car is different every time you take the track. “

When evoking his elimination in Q2, the Briton is as fatalistic as the day before, pending developments preparing for Scuderia for Imola and Barcelona.

“We are beaten by the Williams in qualifying, so they do a great job, but our pure rhythm …”he ruminates. “This is where we are. Charles [Leclerc] had the chance to pass [en Q3] With a new tire train. If I had an additional new tire train, we would have used them. “

“The sprint was better than the qualifications, but as I said, we are where we are. We need changes, we need improvements, we need a lot to be better. I tried everything, we try everything. It is enough for the slightest tenth to be eliminated. If I had come out with new tires, I would probably have passed in Q3. Not much.

In such a context, Lewis Hamilton could be one of those who will dance the rain in Florida this Sunday, but even such a scenario leaves it perplexed …

“The car was not good on the wet”he warns. “I don’t know if it will be better tomorrow. We’ll see. I’m going to pray a lot tonight. It is sure that there is an opportunity. If it starts on dry and it rains next, it could be nice, but it will also take a little luck.”